Medical Education Lab (M.E.L) CABs Summer research Scholarship 2022

Clinicians’ Attitudes to Visualisation Technologies Questionnaire (CAVTQ)
M.E.L. project co-supervised by Dr Mioara Cristea

My project was entitled Development and Validation of Clinicians’ Attitudes to Visualisation Technologies Questionnaire (CAVTQ). The research focused on clinicians’ opinions of the benefits and challenges of using visualisation technology, specifically eye-tracking, augmented reality and virtual reality, in clinical practice and training, with the aim of designing a questionnaire based on these opinions. The initial part of the research was qualitative in nature as semi-structured interviews and a focus group were conducted. However, once the questionnaire was designed, it was utilised to gather quantitative data from as many clinicians as possible to provide a general understanding of clinician attitudes towards visualisation technology in practice and training.

My role over the internship was to transcribe the interviews and focus group and then conduct a thematic analysis of the data, something that I had never done before. Myself and my supervisor agreed on a framework that I would follow to conduct the thematic analysis and this was carried out using Nvivo, a qualitative analysis software package which I had never used before. Consequently, over the course of my internship I was able to acquire two new technical skills; how to conduct a thematic analysis and how to use a new software tool for qualitative analysis.

Alongside these skills, the internship provided me with an insight into the world of clinicians and the incredible work they do. The opportunity to have a discussion with clinicians about their experiences and to understand how they could benefit from visualisation technology was one I could not have gotten elsewhere. Furthermore, I was fortunate enough to attend a workshop for Anaesthetists where they used eye tracking technology to practice clinical procedures on cadavers. Being able to observe this and subsequently hear the feedback provided to the Anaesthetists relative to where they were gazing during the procedure for example, provided me with an experience of how psychological research can have a real-world impact. Moreover, the experience of seeing cadavers was a humbling one and will live long in my memory; another unique experience I could not have gotten elsewhere.

Leila MacLean

Post-operative pain perception (POPP) co-supervised by Professor Alan Gow

Chronic pain affects over 50 % of older people (Tinnerello et al, 2021), which presents a threat to healthy ageing. Arthroplasty (joint replacement surgery) occurs at an average age of 69 years, though persistent post-operative knee pain affects about 16% 12 months after surgery (Rice et al., 2018). Pain perception has been associated with attention, cognition (beliefs, attitudes, expectations, memory), emotions/emotional regulation and behaviours (e.g. avoidance) (Linton & Shaw, 2011). The aim of the study is to collect qualitative data from people who have experienced or are experiencing post-operative pain, to form the basis of a diagnostic/therapeutic serious game to diagnose and reduce pain.